There weren't any fireworks or anything like that. There was fire, in the fireplace and inside both of Maura and Jane. The kiss didn't last that long, it was pretty much just a touch of their lips. But that didn't stop their hearts from racing and their breaths to come out in short gasps after they broke apart. Maura still had her eyes closed, a grin on her face. Jane's pretty much equaled hers, but she had her eyes open, watching the flames dance on the blonde's face. She looked absolutely beautiful in the light.
"You gonna open your eyes or keep them closed all night?" Maura chuckled as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Jane was breathless when she saw the spark in Maura's eyes.
When she had met the blonde, she was sad, hurt, there was no happiness there. And now as she looked into her eyes, all she saw was a very happy young woman who hadn't looked more beautiful than right now. Jane felt lucky that she was the one to be causing this in Maura. That she was able to do this.
"I don't think this was planned?" It came out more as a question than anything. Especially when she saw the devious grin on Jane's face right after. She laughed when the other girl leaned in and tickled her neck with her nose.
"Are you sure about that? Maybe it was my plan all along. To get you here all alone and then... bam!" Grabbing Maura by her sides and leaning on her good leg, she all but threw the blonde on the couch. Maura was laughing the whole time, tears gathering in her eyes. She swatted at Jane lamely, who grabbed her arms and pinned them down by the blonde's sides.
"I think you do need that spoon to take me down, because this... this was just sad." Maura gasped in mock horror, narrowing her eyes at Jane.
"Are you mocking me Jane? Because I seem to recall a certain someone pretty much saving your life today." They were just playing around, but when Maura said this, both their minds went back to the events earlier today and the mood quickly shifted from fun and lighthearted to heavy and serious. Jane's eyes darkened ever so slightly as she slowly leaned down.
"And I will be forever grateful for that." Before Maura had a chance to respond, Jane claimed her lips. The kiss was different from before. It conveyed the emotions Jane was feeling, the gratitude. And Maura answered without hesitation.
They kissed hungrily, Jane's hands wandering up and down Maura's sides, causing the other girl to smile into the kiss. The easiness from before seemed to come back and soon Jane had Maura pinned beneath her, tickling the blonde's sides.
"I give up! Please Jane! Stop!" The other girl laughed warmly, before releasing her grip on the blonde.
They collapsed half on top of each other, Jane resting her head on Maura's shoulder. She winced as she moved her leg, trying to get comfortable and sighed softly when she found a good position. Maura kissed the top of her head, twirling a string of Jane's hair around her finger. They were quiet for a while, Maura playing with Jane's hair and the other girl enjoying the touch. For a moment there both forgot the predicament they were in and just enjoyed each other's new found company.
Maura broke the silence. "Should we talk about this?" Lifting her head, Jane looked up at the blonde, the question shining in her eyes. "About the kiss. Us. What this means?"
"I guess it's safe to say that we like each other. What else is there to talk about?" Maura shrugged, not really knowing how to answer that question. Jane moved up a little, looking Maura in the eyes. "I don't regret it, do you?" At the shake of Maura's head, Jane continued. "Right, so there's nothing really to talk about or worry about or anything. We kissed. And now we'll just see where it leads. Because whether or not we want to think about it, we still are in a crazy situation and I'd like to get out of it as fast as possible. Can't really take you out on a date if we're being followed right?" Again Jane tried to lighten the mood and succeeded in making Maura smile.
"You'd like to take me out huh?" Jane chuckled, redness adorning her cheeks. She might look like a badass, but she was really easily embarrassed. And it was something Maura found adorable. "I'd like that." Leaning up on her elbows, Maura kissed Jane slowly, letting the moment linger just a second longer.
"We should get to bed." It was a completely innocent statement from Jane, but it didn't really sound that innocent. Maura raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" Jane hung her head, cursing herself. Maura laughed loudly, lifting Jane's head to look at her. "I'm joking Jane. You're right, we could both use a good night's rest."
"More like a whole week." The blonde just shook her head at that.
They both slept like a log, the events of previous days finally catching up with them. When they woke up, they felt refreshed, sore and even more drained than the day before. Weird that you can feel better but worse at the same time. Jane turned on her side to face Maura. The blonde already had her eyes open and was studying Jane.
"What?" The other girl suddenly felt self-conscious. Maura's eyes were almost looking straight through her into her soul. Or at least it felt like that to Jane.
"You're beautiful you know that?" Jane chuckled, turning her eyes away from Maura. The blonde reached out her hand, cupping Jane's cheek and making her look at her.
"Don't do that. Don't be embarrassed when someone gives you a compliment. Believe what they say and take pride in it." Jane looked at Maura.
"I can't wait to get to know you. All the weird quirks, things you do or say when something happens. Learn every little thing about you." The blonde smiled shyly at these words, before leaning in claiming Jane's lips.
"Me neither." She whispered against the other girl's lips. Leaning back, she grinned. "But I really have to use the bathroom." Jane laughed and rolled her eyes.
Lying back, she watched Maura get up and move across the room before disappearing. Sighing to herself, she shook her head in disbelief. Only two days had passed, but it felt like a lifetime. And it definitely felt as if she had known Maura all of her life. When they were around each other like this, just the two of them and no running away, it felt perfect. As if they had been doing this for years. She was surprised to find herself hoping she would be able to do this with Maura for years.
Jane had just closed her eyes when she heard a sound. Snapping them open and sitting up straight, she strained her ears. It wasn't Maura. The sound didn't come from the bathroom. Getting up carefully and thankfully with a little less pain than the other day, she slowly moved towards the window. Her heart was racing as she looked out the window, her eyes scanning everything she could see.
Again she heard the sound. She was sure it was a twig snapping under someone's weight. Or something's. Swallowing the lump in her throat she kept looking, hoping to find a squirrel or some other animal to be the cause of the sound. But when she saw nothing and she didn't hear anything else either she dared to breathe again. It probably was some kind of animal.
"Jane." The sound of her name made her jump a feet in the air and she whirled around with wild eyes. Maura was standing in the door opening, looking at her worriedly. When she saw that it was Maura, Jane calmed down. Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, she shook her head.
"Jesus Maura. You scared the crap out of me." The blonde moved towards Jane, looking over her shoulder and out the window.
"What's going on?" The other girl waved her hand, glancing over her shoulder one last time.
"Nothing. Just thought I heard something. Must've been some kind of animal. Everything's fine, really." She tried a reassuring smile, but Maura didn't buy it.
"Are you sure? Did you see an animal?" Jane sighed and shook her head dejectedly.
"No. But I didn't see anything else either. And I didn't hear anything else. It must've been an animal, it couldn't have been anything else. There's no way they know we're here. Right?" Even Jane didn't sound so sure anymore and it didn't exactly calm Maura down.
"I don't know. What if they followed us? They knew where you lived didn't they? What if they found out about this and came to check if we're here?" The blonde was starting to panic, walking around the room, waving her hands around frantically. Jane moved over, taking Maura's hands in her own.
"Calm down. Let me just check outside okay?" The blonde's eyes widened dramatically and she practically threw herself at Jane to stop her.
"Are you crazy? You can't go out there. What if they're there waiting for you? What if something happens to you? I'm not letting you go out there Jane. At least not alone." Jane opened her mouth to retort, but when she saw the serious look on the blonde's face she knew it was a lost cause. She had no other choice. Besides, knowing that Maura was going to be with her did make her feel somewhat better. At least she wasn't going to be alone.
They both made their way to the door slowly, keeping an eye on each other the whole time. Jane was shaking slightly as she turned the doorknob and she carefully opened the door. The door creaked when she opened it and she winced. Praying that if there was someone out there they hadn't heard it, Jane walked outside with Maura closely behind her. The blonde had a grip on her arm that told Jane that Maura was nervous and scared. And she couldn't blame her. She herself wasn't doing all that great right now. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest and her breath was coming out in short gasps. If whatever they found wouldn't kill them, her panic attack probably would. Rolling her eyes at her own drama, Jane licked her lips and moved further outside.
Checking left and right, she was met with silence. She saw nothing and she heard nothing. There should be birds chirping, but she might just not hear it over her own heartbeat. She glanced over her shoulder to see Maura looking around nervously. Jane promised herself right there that she would have nothing happen to the blonde. Not after everything they already went through.
"Jane." The whisper made her stop dead in her tracks and she turned to look at Maura. The blonde was frozen in her spot, her eyes fixed on something. Jane followed her gaze, not sure what the blonde was looking at at first, but when she saw something move she knew they had to get out of there. It definitely wasn't a bird, squirrely or any other kind of small animal. No, the shape was definitely human.
"Careful Maura. Follow my lead okay?" The figure had their back towards them, so Jane was sure he hadn't seen them yet. But if they would start running like crazy people she was sure they would be spotted. Jane almost missed the blonde's nod, she barely moved her head.
Lacing their fingers together, the two girls looked at each other one last time. Jane turned them around and they slowly starting inching away from the stranger that was standing five feet away from them. The strange thing was that both of them were quite calm. Their hearts were still beating fast and their breaths were still coming out pretty fast, but apart from that they were calm.
As they moved along the side of the cabin, they kept their eyes and ears open. Jane stopped suddenly and Maura nearly bumped into her. The blonde didn't open her mouth to ask why Jane stopped, she could see it right in front of them. Another man stood there, his hands clasped behind his back. The only difference between him and the other one was that this one was staring right at them. It was as if everything suddenly happened insanely fast. The man moved forward, opening his mouth to call for the others. Jane held on tighter to Maura's hand as she dashed away from him and the cabin as fast as she could.
She winced as her leg protested against the sudden movement, but she moved through it, knowing they couldn't stop. Maura told her to run behind her. The blonde kept glancing behind her to see the men following them. Jane closed her eyes against the pain and remembered the promise she made herself to protect Maura. Tugging at the blonde's hand, she pulled Maura forward.
"Just keep running, I'm right behind you!" The two moved through the forest, dodging branches, finding the easiest route whenever they came across a rough patch. Jane couldn't jump over them and Maura wasn't going to leave Jane behind.
They weren't sure how long they had been running, but Jane was starting to get a weird feeling. Both of them kept glancing behind them to see how far ahead they were and it seemed as if they weren't gaining any distance. But they weren't losing any either. Jane frowned to herself. Neither of them were running at full speed because of her leg. But that would mean that the guys chasing them should've easily caught up with them already. It could only mean that they were up to something.
As they kept going, Jane started to notice something. Each time they would move to the right or the left one of the men would show up and they had to go back. She ran a little faster to catch up with Maura.
"Maura, I think we're being guided somewhere." Jane was breathing heavily, the pain starting to become too much for her. Maura glanced at her, a frown on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"They should've caught up with us already. We're not running that fast. And every time we go one way they make us go another. Besides, they could've shot us if they had wanted to."
The blonde seemed surprised at first, but after thinking about it for a minute seemed to figure it out as well. She glanced at Jane once more, and the other girl could see the panic started to spread again.
"What do we do?" Jane licked her dry lips and winced as her foot hit the ground.
"Follow me." Maura nodded.
Jane knew the woods like the back of her hand. She had spent so many years here and they had pretty much explored everything. So she knew a few shortcuts to get back to the city quicker. And hopefully loose them on the way there. She motioned to Maura to keep an eye on her, before making a sharp turn. The man that had been following them on the side seemed surprised and nearly lost his footing as he tried to turn back around. Jane smiled to herself and continued on, glancing back to make sure that Maura was still behind her.
Again they kept running, Jane making quick turns now and then, even guiding them into a tunnel. Both of them were worried that the men would be waiting for them on the other side and were relieved when they found no one. Jane's leg was hurting more than ever and she knew they had to stop soon. Or else they would be in big trouble. She glanced behind them to find no one following them anymore.
It would only be a short run to get to the docks and once there they could rest for a moment. Reaching out her hand, she could feel Maura take it and with one more squeeze she pushed through her pain and through the last bushes. They didn't stop to check where they were, Jane knew exactly where they were. She could see one of the docks and with a last burst of energy they moved towards it.
"Jane!" Maura cried out when she collapsed. At least they made it. They were safe.
The blonde collapsed next to her, moving her attention towards Jane's leg. The wound had reopened and blood was seeping through her jeans. She groaned in pain, lying flat on her back. She could feel Maura put pressure on it, but was too tired to open her eyes and look.
"Jane, open your eyes." The other girl didn't comply. "Jane! I need you to open your eyes for me honey." One more groan and Jane opened her eyes slowly. She could barely catch her breath and could see that Maura was struggling with hers as well.
They caught each other's eyes, still wide with fear and panic. Maura smiled softly, tears filling her eyes. Jane was about to smile back when she saw Maura let her eyes travel up towards something behind Jane. Her smile faded and the pressure on Jane's leg lifted slightly. The other girl frowned, and turned her head to see what Maura was looking at.
"Hello Maura." It was Arthur.